A US federal court has convicted four individuals for their involvement in the 2021 assassination of former Haitian President Jovenel Moïse, in a case that revealed a multinational conspiracy spanning from South Florida to Haiti.
A federal jury in Miami convicted Arcangel Pretel Ortiz, Antonio Intriago, Walter Veintemilla and James Solages on conspiracy charges related to the killing of the Haitian leader at his private residence in Port-au-Prince on July 7, 2021. The guys played major roles in financing and organizing the plot that led to the assassination, prosecutors said.
US prosecutors say the group arranged logistics, finance and equipment for a group of largely ex-Colombian soldiers who attacked Moïse’s residence in a late-night raid. The attackers fatally shot the president, while his wife Martine Moise was critically hurt but survived.
The defendants were convicted of conspiracy to kill or kidnap a foreign leader, providing material assistance for the plot and violating the US Neutrality Act. During sentence they might each face life imprisonment.
During the lengthy trial, prosecutors contended that the conspirators sought to replace Moïse with a leader who would reward them with political authority and lucrative contracts. But the defense argued that the original objective had been to detain the Haitian president and said the killing was carried out by others.
The assassination sent Haiti into deeper political instability and growing gang violence, and the nation has continued to struggle through years of upheaval since Moïse’s death. Several other people have already pleaded guilty in similar US charges and other investigations are under way in Haiti.
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